Inside the New York Yankees clubhouse with MLB.com beat writer Bryan Hoch.

Joe Girardi’s options are increasing

If Joe Girardi and the Yankees are not able to hammer out a new contract this month, there project to be multiple potential landing spots for the manager.

The Washington Nationals have requested permission to speak with Joe Girardi about their vacancy with Davey Johnson retiring, CSN Chicago’s David Kaplan reported. Girardi is under contract with the Yankees until Oct. 31, when his three-year, $9 million pact expires.

He has also drawn interest from the Cubs after they dismissed Dale Sveum, and the Reds also could reach out after they parted ways with manager Dusty Baker this week.

The Yankees would like to retain Girardi and are not expected to grant permission for any club to speak with him until their exclusive negotiating window expires. Girardi met with general manager Brian Cashman for coffee on Monday and Cashman met with Girardi’s agent, Steve Mandell, on Wednesday.

In his end-of-season press conference on Sept. 29 in Houston, Girardi said that he did not expect his contract situation to drag out. He also downplayed the perception that the Cubs position would be an appealing ‘dream job’ for him.

“Our home has been here [in New York]. My kids are engrossed in schools here. We haven’t been to Chicago since … haven’t lived there since 2006. The only person who’s really there, my brother’s still there, a couple brothers are there. My father’s gone, my mother’s gone – there’s not as much there as there used to be.”

0.0000000.000000

Share this:

Like this:

5 Comments

1. Don Mattingly

Don Mattingly’s Top 10 Moments

Donnie Baseball is among the most beloved Bombers ever. Here’s why.
Hit Man’s Top 10 Photo Gallery 50 Yanks Photo Gallery
The Dodgers have yet to pick up Mattingly’s option for next year, which has surprised some. Still, Mattingly seems to be popular with his bosses and is an NL Manager of the Year candidate. He is probably staying in Los Angeles, but, if not, he would be very popular with the Yankees fan base, which could be helpful over the next few years. Plus, Mattingly came in second to Girardi the last go around, at a time when he didn’t have any managerial experience.

2. Pete Mackanin

This is a wild-card candidate, but a guy whom Brian Cashman is said to love. Mackanin managed the Pirates for 30 games in 2005, he was Charlie Manuel’s bench coach in Philadelphia and has interviewed for a number of jobs. Mackanin, 62, a current Yankee scout, is the type of outside-the-box candidate whom some in the organization may favor. Upper management may want a bigger name, though.

3. Tony Pena

[+] EnlargeTony Pena
Jim McIsaac/Getty ImagesCould Tony Pena go from bench coach to manager?
Pena is Girardi’s bench coach and got the bronze medal the last time the Yankees’ job was open. Pena is very personable, but I’m not sure Cashman would turn to him. On the coaching staff, the Yankees have a few guys, from Kevin Long to Rob Thomson, who could one day manage. Cashman, though, will probably want more experience. Pitching coach Larry Rothschild has managed before in Tampa.

4. Dusty Baker

He is likely not a fit for the Yankees. There are no Yankee ties and a lot of people question how good he is as a manager.

5. Lou Piniella and Tony La Russa

Piniella is 70, while La Russa is 69. They are unlikely to come back, especially to a team that may be headed in the wrong direction.

6. Willie Randolph

Another ex-Yankee with managerial experience, but I don’t see it happening. Randolph doesn’t play the sabermetric game the Yankees’ front office prefers.

7. Don Wakamatsu

Another guy who is in the Yankees’ system (as a scout) and has managerial experience.

8. Dave Miley

He has done a good job at Triple-A.

9. Manny Acta

A lot of people in baseball love Acta, though he hasn’t had much success in his first two managerial stops in Washington and Cleveland. He is currently an ESPN analyst.

10. Mystery Candidate

There are going to be a lot bench coaches, etc., who emerge from what will be a wide-open field. There is no obvious candidate to replace Girardi, which is why it could be a very interesting process.

Girardi is a terrific manager and hopefully stays with the Yanks. On the other hand, why stay working for a totally dysfunctional organization headed by the Steinbrenners, Levine and Cashman.They have managed to trash this franchise. Hopefully they sell the team. Seems unlikely but one can hope. As a reminder, Bartolo Colon, good enough for Oakland, but not the Yanks. Same goes for Ibanez in Seattle.

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.